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Nelson Mandela Calls for Equality
By Marilee Miller
Medill News Service
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Former South African President Nelson Mandela spoke last
week about freedom, justice and equality in a world forever changed since
Sept. 11. The recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, a symbol of the
struggle against apartheid, condemned the terrorist attacks, but cautioned
that the West can also learn from Arab nations.
The "constant struggle for peace continues," Mandela told a crowd at the
University of Maryland. "It never was an easy road, and is certainly not so
now," in a world marked by new war and discrimination related to the
terrorist attacks.
"I hope that this attack does not lead to a rise of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab
feeling," he said. "It is not Arabs who are responsible for the attack. Any
campaign conducted should be against terrorism and not against Muslims or
Arab nations and people."
Mandela said the United States and other Western countries should not be
viewed as superior as they remodel countries, including Afghanistan, into
democracies.
"We must trust above all that in Afghanistan, and all over the world,
democracy will be established and the interests and well-being of the people
will be supreme," he said.
The West still has great strides to make in realizing its own democratic
principles, according to Mandela, and could learn from the Middle East.
Economic equality, he said, is one such place. "You live in the center of
New York," he said. "You go to Harlem. You find poverty will stare you in
the face."
Mandela said that in the United States economic inequality limits
opportunity.
"In a country like the [United States], you can't be a mayor, governor or
president if you are not wealthy," he said. "Where would a common man get
$300 million to be governor, mayor, president?"
"While the divide between the rich and the poor, with the latter vastly
outnumbering the former, continues to grow, we allow fertile breeding ground
for discontent and for extremism and terrorism," he said. "Our fight for
peace is also and importantly a war against poverty and deprivation."
Following Mandela's speech, University of Maryland officials honored
students who won the Sadat Art for Peace Program competition by presenting
their pieces to Mandela.
One winner, David Page, a South African, filled a small red bag with
shattered limestone taken from Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned
for nearly 30 years, and secured it with a steel loop representing "the will
of those who refused to see their situation as hopeless or their position as
inferior."
The piece was entitled "Sakvol Klippierjies," meaning little bag of rocks.
In explaining his piece, Page wrote that it was designed to honor peace,
which is "simply a fortunate byproduct of a diligent quest for justice."
Mandela took the sculpture, held it above his head and smiled as the
audience applauded.
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